Mangle or flatwork-ironer.



G. F. RAMM.

MANGLE OR FLATWORK IRONER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.15, 1915.

Patented A 1,1916.

3SHEET ET I.

G. F. RAMM.

MANGLE 0R FLATWORK IRONER. I

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA-5| \915.

1,179,217. Patented Apr. 11,1916.

3 suinssnin 2.

G. F. RAMM.

MANGLE 0R FLATWORK IRONER.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 15. 1915.

1,179,217. Patented Apr; 11,1916. 1

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Duclcluucluu nnnauuuuu wuemto z To all whom it may concern UNITED STATESGEORGE E. RAMM, OF DEL MONTE, CALIFORNIA.

MANGLE OR FLATWORK-IRONEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed September 15, 1915. serial No. 50,849.

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. RAMM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Del Monte, in the county of Monterey and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful- Improvements in Mangles orFlatwork-lroners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in laundry ironing machines ofthe character commonly known as mangles or flatwork ironers, designedparticularly for use in ironing certain classes of goods, commonly knownas flatwork. Ironing machines of this type generally consist of a feederand an ironing mechanism, to which the goods are conveyed by the feeder,the ironing mechanism consisting, in a single ironing machine, of asingle heated ironing roll and a moving web or apron, together. withpressure rolls for bringing the work in contact with the 'roll, wherebyit is ironed, a double ironing machine of the type described having twoironing rolls or drums and a corresponding number of aprons, by whichthe work is first passed around one drum to iron the work on one sideand then passed around the other drum to iron the work on the otherside.

The feeder referred to commonly consists of a series of endless bandspassing around a driven shaft and an idler, and commonly made of afabric material. As the aprons employed in connection with the drums andthe bands of the feeder are subjectto much strain and friction, theseaprons and bands stretch and quickly wear out, requiring them to berenewed at frequent intervals at much expense. Furthermore, the bands ofthe feeder stretch to unequal degrees, resulting in an imperfect feedingaction, and constant work in an attempt to keep the feeder in goodworking condition, all of which is a source of annoyance and source ofexpense.

One ob ect of my invent on 18 to provide a v mangle embodying ironingmechanism including a sheet metal apron for each ironing roll or drumemployed, whereby a strong, and durable type of apron is produced, whichwill maintain its shape and wilflast for a long eriod.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feeder embodyingmetallic feed bands,

and a construction whereby bands of such material may beeflicientlyemployed, together with means whereby the bands are maintained properlytaut, thus furnishing a feeder which is of great durability and willoperate with little or no attention.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a feeder embodyingmeans to insure the proper conveyance of the work to the ironingmechanism, and which includes means for preventing injury to the personor attendant in charge of the feeder.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination andarrangement of parts herein fully described and claimed, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammaticside elevation of a mangle embodying my invention, showing only so muchof the mangle as is neces-. sary to illustrate the invention. Fig. 2 isa section through one of the slack take-up devices shown in Fig.- 1 onan enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of one ofthe aprons. Fig. 4 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of thefeeder. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 isa sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a fragmentaryperspective view of one of the metallic feed belts, showing theconstruction. of the meeting ends thereof, shown in separated condition:Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a bolt for coupling the meeting ends ofeach belt, the parts of the bolt being disconnected. Fig. 9 is asectional View through the hinged portion of a belt, showing the sameconnection by the bolt.

The machine may embody in its organization any preferred type of framestructure and running gearing, all of those in common use beingadaptable for the purposes of my invention, the inventionbeingapplicable to any ordinary type of mangle or flatwork iron. In thepresent instance I have shown secondary ironing roll or drum 3 and feedbelt 4 associated therewith, said rolls being mounted upon shafts oraXes 5 and 1n superposed relationship. The work is first then ironedupon one side thereof.

conveyed by the feeder to the upper portion of the roll 1, whichrevolves in an upward and rearward direction, the work being carriedbetween the upper portion of the periphery of said drum and a series ofpressure rolls 7, and thence engaged and carried by the moving apron 2against the lower portion of the periphery of the drum, whereby the workis first straightened out and As shown, the aprons 2 and 4: respectivelyhave portions 2 and 4 which move in contact with portions of theperiphery of the drums, and said aprons also have portions 2 and a whichare in contact with each other. lhe work is thus carried rearwardlyaround the top of the drum 1, then forwardly around the bottom of thedrum 1, whereby it is ironed upon one face, and is then engaged and fedto the drum 3 by the portions 2 and e of the aprons, then carrieddownwardly and rearwardly around the lower portion of the drum 3,whereby the work is ironed on the opposite side, and the work finallydischarged by a delivery portion 4 of the apron 1 to a folder or into areceptacle for further treatment.-

The aprons 2 and 4 are in the form of wide endless bands arranged totravel around a series of rollers 8, at least one of the rollersassociated with each apron being positively driven from a part of therunning gear of the press and provided with teeth 9 which engageopenings 10 in the longitudinal edges of the apron, thus insuring apositive feed motion of each apron. Each apron is made of a highlydurable, flexible mate-,

rial, such as spring sheet steel or brass, which possesses great wearingcapacity and durability and is proof to a high degree againststretching, thus overcoming the objections to ordinary fabric aprons.slack which occurs in either apron may be taken up by a slack take-updevice comprising an idle roll 10 mounted at each end in a slidingbearing 11 having fixed thereto a screw stem 12 fitting within aninternally threaded tube or sleeve 13 suitably journaled, as at 14, upona part 15 of the frame of themachine, and having openings 16 for thepassage of a lever bar or handle whereby it may be turned, thus allowingthe roller 10 to be adjusted as occasion may require to take up theslack in the apron. As the apron is positively driven, it will befurther seen that friction and wear therefrom will also be reduced tothe minimum, and greater durability and a more positive feed insuredthan is possible with the use of aprons which areliable to slip andcause excessive friction and retard the feed of the work.

A feeder B comprises a drive shaft 17 j ournaled in sliding bearings 18on the machine frame 15, in which bearings are swiveled the inner orrear ends of adjusting Any screws 19 engaging threaded openings lugs 20on the machine frame and provided at their outer ends with crank wheels21, whereby the screws may be turned and the bearings adjusted in andout to vary the po sition of the shaft, as will be readily under stood.Also journaled on the machine frame between the drive shaft 17 and theprimary pressure roll 7 of the series of pressure rolls is a.countershaft or idler 22, around which drive shaft and countershaftpasses a series of endless belts or bands 23. These bands, of which anysuitable number may be employed, pass around the shafts 17 and 21between intervening spacing disks or washers 24, whereby they are heldfrom relative lateral motion, and each belt or band is provided with acentral longitudinal series of sprocket holes or openings 25 to engageteeth 26 upon a sprocket wheel 27 secured to the shaft 17.

In practice, the belts or bands 23 are made of thin sheet steel. orbrass, and are positively geared to the shaft 17 as described so as tobe directly driven thereby, thus avoidscrews 23, whereby the ends of thebands are pivotally or flexibly united, each screw being preferablycomposed of two sections, one having a socket to receive a reducedthreaded stem on the other, whereby the surfaces of the sections lieflush to avoid injury to the work. In practice the sprocket wheels 27may be made of wood and the teeth ofrawhide suitably fixed therein, theconstruction being such that the teeth will project only slightly, if atall, through the openings 25, so as to avoid all liability of injury tothe work. By the use of flexible sheet metal bands, friction, due toslipping, and wear are reduced to the minimum, and even and positivefeeding of the work insured, and time, labor and expense saved inkeeping the machine in working condition. By disposing the sprocketopenings and teeth at the center of each band, a satisfactory drivingaction is secured, while the objections incident to the use of two setsof openings and teeth along the edges of the bands are avoided. Thebands may be primarily'tightened and kept tight through theadjustability of the shaft 17, and the top or supporting stretches ofthe bands are maintained in a horizontal plane and prevented fromsagging under the weight of bands are arranged to deliver the workbetween the upper face of the-drum 1 and the primary pressure roll 7,and to cover the gap between the feeder and rolls and prevent the workfrom following the bands around the roll 22, I provide a guide plate 31,which is arranged in parallel relation to the roll 22 andspaced-slightly from the adjacent bight portions of the bands 23, so asto form a shelf or surface disposed in the space between the feed bandsand the drum 1 to insure the passage of the work from said feed bandsbetween the drum 1 and the primary pressure roller 17. Projections 32are carried by the guide plate 31 to slightly lap over the adjacent endsor bight portions of the bands, so as to prevent the work from tendingto follow the bands downward around the roll 22. The plate 31 hasreduced ends 33 which are cylindrical in form and fit withincorresponding openings 34 in brackets 35 having slotted portions for thepassage of screws 36, whereby the brackets and platemay be adjustedtoward and from the delivery ends of the bands as oocasion may require.The plate 31 is also adapted to be tilted on its reduced portions ortrunnions 33 in the sockets 34 of the bearings 35 to adjusttheprojections 32 verti-' cally with relation to the bands, and to befastened in adjusted position by a set screw 37, allowing the maximumefliciency of adjustment to be secured.

Arranged upon the frame is a Work holder or receptacle 38 of suitableconstruction, from which the work is taken and passed to the feeder, thework being maintained as it is fed forward in flattened-condition by astraightening roll 39 adjustably and removably mounted in slotteduprights 40 ca rried by the machine frame. As stated, the

ironing drums or rolls are driven in any suitable manner from therunning gear of the machine, and for the purpose of driving the feeder asprocket drive gear 41 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 17 and drivenby a chain 42 from some suitable part of the running gearing, and thissprocket gear 41 is provided with a clutch member 43 normally engaged bya sliding clutch member 44 feathered to slide upon and rotate with theshaft 17, whereby the drive gear is normally coupled to the shaft. Theclutch member 44 is pivotally connected with one of the arms of alaterally movable bell crank lever 45, the other arm of which ispivotally connected with one of the armsof a second vertical movablebell crank lever 46, having its other frame, the construction andarrangement being such that in the event of the hand or other part ofthe person of the operator of the feeder passing forwardly beyond apredetermined position the gate or guard will.

be rocked on its pivotal connection, thus throwing the shaft 17 out ofengagement with the driving mechanism so as to stop the motion of thefeeder and avoid liability of injury to the operator. The guard 48 isnormally maintained by gravity in a perpendicular position to keep theclutch rnem bers 43 and 44 in engagement with each other and serves as ameans by which the action of the feeder may be manually or automaticallyarrested, as will be readily understood. It will be evident that as thusconstructed the feeder not only insures safety to the operator and workagainst liability of injury, but secures maximum durability andefficiency in obviating the objections hereinbefore pointed out.

I claim 1. In an ironing machine of the character described, thecombination, with ironing means 1ncludmg an ironing drum and a pressureroll, of a feeder, and a guide plate disposed in the space between thefeeder and the drum and roll, said guide plate being tiltably andslidably adjustable and comprising a bar or plate arranged in parallelrelation to the delivery edge of the feeder and provided withprojections eX- tending over such edge of the feeder.

Witnesses: L. A. RUTA-N NEY OTIS.

GEORGE F. RAMM;

